As the name suggests, Contracts for difference (CFD) is an agreement entered upon by two parties, whereby they decide to exchange the difference between the opening price and the closing price of a stock. Contracts for difference (or CFDs as they are sometimes referred to) mirror the performance of a share or an index. Contracts for difference (CFDs) can be traded on equities (shares), index trades, FOREX and commodities. Contracts for difference allow investors to take long or short positions, and unlike futures contracts have no fixed expiry date, standardised contract or contract size. Contracts for difference are traded on margin, and the profit/loss is determined by the difference between the buy and the sell price. Contracts for difference (CFDs) are instruments that offer exposure to the markets at a small percentage of the cost of owning the actual share. Contracts for difference provide an excellent vehicle for short term trading strategies and are the preferred vehicle amongst hedge funds and professional traders. You should be aware, there are two different types of contracts for difference providers, one is more like a traditional spread better where you are trading with the CFD provider and have to trade on their prices. With the other provider, your contracts for difference orders or more strictly the hedge for your CFD orders is sent directly to the LSE order book. Read more »